Morfa Colliery explosion, 1863

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Saturday 17 October 1863 firedamp exploded in the western workings of Morfa Colliery at Taibach, killing about forty of the forty-three men and boys in the affected heading, most by chokedamp. Heavy falls delayed the recovery until the end of November. The Inspector thought gas had gathered in the goaf after falls disturbed the ventilation, but could not say how it fired; in the weeks before, the men had reported ghostly omens.

Cause

Firedamp that had accumulated in the goaf near the western workings, where falls of roof and side had partly closed the airway; the means of ignition was not established.

Contributing factors

The mine gave off gas from the coal, floor and roof under pressure. Three damaged lamps were found near the likely point of origin, possibly damaged by the explosion or defective beforehand.

What happened

The colliery raised 600 tons a day of bituminous and steam coal by pillar and stall from shafts of 102 and 120 fathoms, and had a good record. The explosion came on the west side of the Nine Feet workings about 500 yards from the shaft bottom. Rumours of 150 dead spread through the valley. An old man named Stephens, nearly flattened by the blast, went back through the afterdamp to find his twelve-year-old son dead and carried his body out in a sack; a collier named Williams carried his collapsed son until he could go no further, and both were brought out alive, though the son died later. Seven men were brought out alive in an exhausted state and two died within minutes of reaching the surface.

Rescue & recovery

The manager William Grey, knocked down by the blast, led a party through falls on the engine plane with the underviewer William Barrass, found the injured engine-plane attendant Humphrey Jenkins, and pressed on until the whole party was overcome and Grey had to be carried out. The falls, some up to the roof, were cleared over the weekend; colliers from Cwmavon were singled out in the Inspector's report for risking their lives to save one man. The last body was recovered at the end of November.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest opened on the Monday at the Police Court in Aberavon before the coroner Alexander Cuthbertson. Inspector Evans reported that the explosion began near the goaf in the western workings, that the colliery's ventilation and discipline had been among the best in his district, and that he could attribute no blame to the manager.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The lessor and lessee, Talbot and Vivian, made provision for the widows and orphans.

Memorials & commemoration

The colliery memorial within the Port Talbot steelworks commemorates the dead of its six fatal accidents.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The explosion occurred shortly after 10 a.m. on Saturday 17 October 1863 in the western workings, with about 400 men in the mine and 43 men and boys in the heading affected. ¹
• The NMRS account gives thirty-eight dead of the forty-three in the heading. (disputed) ¹
• Welsh Coal Mines names forty dead in its death roll. (disputed) ^2,3
• A page on the 1890 disaster says 30 were killed in 1863. (disputed) ⁴
• The NMRS account has the manager William Grey knocked down, leading a search party and giving evidence afterwards; the Welsh Coal Mines roll lists William Grey, 46, the manager, as having died later. (disputed) ^3,1
• Inspector Evans believed gas had accumulated in the goaf near the western workings after falls disturbed the ventilation; all lamps but one were locked and that one was in good order, and he attributed no blame to the manager. ¹
• Ghostly sightings at the colliery became more frequent in the weeks before the 1863 explosion and were taken by the workforce as harbingers of disaster. ²

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Afterdamp (hazard involved)
  Rescuers were driven back by afterdamp.
• Chokedamp (hazard involved)
  Most of the dead died of chokedamp.
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  Gas accumulated in the goaf fired.
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  All lamps but one were found locked.
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  The coal was worked by pillar and stall.

Sources

1. (secondary) Morfa Colliery Explosion - Port Talbot - 1863 — Northern Mine Research Society (information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre)
2. (secondary) Morfa Colliery Port Talbot — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (secondary) Morfa Colliery disaster death rolls — Welsh Coal Mines
4. (secondary) The 1890 Morfa Colliery Disaster — David Morgan (genealogy page, from the official reports and GRO index)

Record created: 11 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026